Time Line

circa 38,000 B.C.E. - 1507 C.E.

B.C.E.

"Before the Common Era." Any time before the

year 1 is noted as "Before the Common Era."
Until recently, this period of time has been called
"B.C." for "Before Christ."

Beringia Land Bridge is open

circa 38,000 B.C.E.

circa 26,000 B.C.E.

Beringia Land Bridge is open again

C.E.

"The Common Era." The Common Era begins

with the year 1. This is the year we assume
Christ was born. Until recently, this period of time
has been called "A.D." ("Anno Domini") which is
Latin for "in the year of our Lord."

circa 11,600 B.C.E.

Invention of Clovis Spear Points

circa 10,500 B.C.E.

People living as far south as Monte Verde, Chile

circa 10,000 B.C.E.

Extinction in the Americas of the giant mammals

circa 8000 B.C.E.

7000 - 1000 B.C.E.

Early farming develops in Central America

5000 - 2700 B.C.E.

Pottery is being made in North America by firing clay

circa 3000 B.C.E.

Olmec civilization thrives in southeast Mexico

1500 - 300 B.C.E.

Adena Mound Builder civilization thrives in the Ohio River Valley

1000 B.C.E. - 200 C.E.

People in Mexico carve hieroglyphs in stones, build large settlements, use

irrigation for farming, and work with metals

500 B.C.E.

Maya civilization thrives on the Yucatan Peninsula

500 B.C.E. - 900 C.E.

Hopewell Mound Builder civilization thrives in the Mississippi River Valley

300 B.C.E. - 200 C.E.

Anasazi civilization thrives in the American Southwest at Four Corners

100 B.C.E. - 1300 C.E.

Mississippian Mound Builder civilization thrives in Mississippi River Valley

800 C.E. - 1500 C.E.

Viking Bjarni Herjolfsson's voyage to North America

986 C.E.

Leif Eriksson builds Vinland settlement in Newfoundland

1000

Navajo civilization at Four Corners

1100

Chinese invent the compass

1100

Aztec civilization thrives in Middle America

English barons force King John of England to sign the Magna Carta

1200 - 1500

1215

Marco Polo travels to China

1271 - 1295

Tenochtitlan founded by the Aztecs in Middle America

circa 1325

Tribal diversity in America with 250 different Native American Languages

circa 1400

Renaissance period in Europe

1400 - 1600

Chinese Compass is improved for sailing by the Arabs

1400

Astrolabe is used to determine position at sea by sailors at sea

1400

Formation of the Iroquois League in northeast Woodlands

1400s

1430 - 1460

Prince Henry trains navigators for Portugal

1453

Turks capture Constantinople and take control of the Middle East

1454

Johannes Gutenberg invents moveable type printing press

1487 - 1488

Bartholomeu Dias sails around southern tip of Africa for Portugal

1492

Columbus' first voyage to North America for Spain

1497

John Cabot sails to Newfoundland for England

1498

Vasco da Gama sails around Africa to India for Portugal

1499

Amerigo Vespucci sails to west coast of South America for Spain

1507

Vespucci explores South America from Venezuela to Argentina for Portugal

Martin Waldseemuller includes "America" on his world map

1507

Atlatl used in North America

Development of fishing and the gathering and storing of plant foods

1504

Columbus saved by an eclipse of the moon

circa

"At about the time of..."

Time Line

circa 12,000 B.C.E.

Most large mammals weighing over 100 pounds are extinct in the Americas